Special Collections

This is an archival or historical document and may not reflect current policies or procedures.

Operations in the Candler Building 1936-1960

Social Security began its operations in 1936 in
a converted Coca-Cola bottling factory on the harbor in downtown Baltimore,
Maryland. This building, known as the Candler Building, was the site
of Social Security's operational headquarters until 1960, when a new
headquarters facility was opened in the Baltimore suburbs. During
the nearly 25 years in the Candler Building, the core administrative
machinery of the Social Security program was created put in operation.
In November 1961, on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the opening
of the Candler Building, SSA issued a special issue of the Bulletin
of the Division of Accounting Operations. This special issue compared
how Social Security operated in the earliest days of the program with
how it operated in 1961. It is a snapshot of two points in time: 1936
and 1960. It is one of the best visual records of the early operational
history of the Social Security Administration, and it is being reproduced
here in its entirety.

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